Spain doesn't exactly celebrate Halloween in the sense that Americans do. It isn't a Spanish holiday, but it is becoming more prevalent. Instead, Spaniards like to celebrate All Saints Day (November 1st) and the Dia de los Difuntos, or in Mexico, Dia de los Muertos on the 2nd of November.
A traditional treat is the panellet and are located all over Barcelona and Spain. We were at the Mercat de Santa Caterina and decided to see what all the fuss was about. Generally they are made of chestnuts and sweet potatoes. Panellets come in different shapes, sizes, and are decorated with different toppings. Most are round, made from marzipan (almonds and sugar) and the most popular are covered in pine nuts.
Liz and I split four (all quite small) and attempted to decide which ones were our favorite. One in particular had a more flavorful taste, probably that of coffee, and yet another had a sweet kick, the extra sugar coating the marzipan. I could relate the flavor and texture to a very doughy sugar cookie. Most patisserias tend to sell them for high prices, but we lucked out with four panellets for 2.55 euro.
In Spain, the theory is to feast on the 31st and 1st of November so that on the 2nd, the day of the dead, their stomachs will be completely full and will not have room for the bad spirits to enter. Similar I guess to our “Fat Tuesday” during the Easter season.
Orange, sugar, coffee, and coconut
Certainly another way to celebrate the fall. What is your favorite fall tradition?
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